Weather across the nation: 2/16/13

Snow showers spread across the East on Saturday, as a cold front stretched down the East Coast.

A strong low pressure system moved over eastern Canada and allowed for a cold front to extend over the Northeast and through the Mid-Atlantic states. Cold air from Canada poured into the East behind this system, which pushed temperatures down to 10 to 15 degrees below seasonable. High temperatures ranged in the mid-40s for the Carolinas, with highs in the mid-30s across the Northeast.

Winter weather advisories have been issued for the Carolinas and into Maryland as periods of heavy snow developed. Snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 2 inches in most areas, with over 4 inches reported at higher elevations of the Central and Southern Appalachians. Some areas along the Mid-Atlantic coast also saw over 4 inches of snow. Highland Lakes, N.J., reported a midday total of 5.1 inches of new snow.

Behind the cold front, widespread and lighter showers persisted over the Eastern Valleys. To the north, periods of heavy lake effect snow showers continued along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes. Snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 6 inches across Michigan and areas in far western New York state.

As cold air continue to pour across the East, frost and freeze advisories were issued for southern Georgia and most of Florida. Early morning low temperatures dropped into the 30s in some of these areas.

In the West, a trough of low pressure moved into British Columbia and pushed a cold front into the Pacific Northwest. This brought scattered rain and high elevations snow showers to Washington and far northern Oregon. Snow levels dropped to 2,000 feet across the Cascades, with snowfall totals from 2 to 5 inches.

ON THIS DATE....... A fairly accurate description of a Minnesota winter can be summed up in one word...cold. Pokegama, Minn., lived up to this characteristic on this date in 1903 when it recorded a temperature of -59 degrees set a state record for the coldest temperature ever.